Release
date: June 10th 2017. Label: HeviSike Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Arcanum
– Tracklisting
1. Cosmonoid
2. Astro Genocide
3. Hex
4. Battle Hag (With
Noise)
Members:
Daz Rowlands - guitar, FX
Dan Mansfield - drums
Peter Callaghan - electronics,
noises
Tomas Cairn - bass guitar
Review
Stoke-on-Trent, in
England to me is synonymous with pottery, coal mines, steel mills,
Michelin Tires and Stoke City FC and Port Vale FC, mainly the latter
two. Yeah, I'm a footie nutter. This little knowledge about the place
has increased considerably with the introduction of Space Witch. And
in a very good way too, I may add. Somehow I have managed to miss out
on them, despite having been around since 2007. After several
releases - demos, EPs, singles and one full-length - 'Arcanum', their
second album, is here and it's bloody amazing. Couldn't have picked a
better introduction to this band, you hear?!
Spacey, trippy and
mind-altering, ‘Arcanum’ leads me down a doomy progressive path I
haven’t experienced in a long time. Lost ancient Middle Eastern
sounds are cleverly incorporated, especially in guitar parts, which,
when played along the galactic electronics and effects, launches
Space Witch’s fabulous journey through galaxies and supernovas, and
it fucks with my mind. And I love it! With eyes closed, my body
relaxes and my mind takes off finding solace in the amazing sights
the band offers.
The quarter-hour long
opener, ‘Cosmonoid, is the catalyst. Instrumental, this gigantic
opus puts me in the right frame. Keeping the pace at a slower rate,
it explodes at different stages and towards the last few minutes, it
gradually builds up and gets heavier by the second.
‘Astro Genocide’
picks up where ‘Cosmonoid’ left off but it is more sinister. The
riffs are angrier while the music is still spacey, creating a very
interesting vibe. Halfway through Space Witch opens wide fucking open
and tear it up. Fast, brutal and in your face. Cacophony unleashes
the sledgehammer that is ‘Hex’. Once the music kicks in, the band
pulverises anything in their way. About halfway through a respite is
given allowing me to float in a sea of stars as the music slows
down…..for a minute! A gradual increase guides me through a
galactic storm only to reach the force of the beginning of the song.
Travelling through
uncharted dimensions, ‘Battle Hag’ is space and head trip if
there ever was one. Twisting, turning, spinning and floating Space
Witch pilot us all elegantly away from imminent doom, or maybe they
aren’t?! Regardless, as the song ends I’m on the way
to….somewhere else. Whether or not it’s a good place or a bad
only time can tell. In the meantime, all I want to do is allow Space
Witch to break me down and mould me into a new, more enlightened,
being. Can’t ask for more!
Words
by Håkan Nyman
Thanks to Dewar PR for
the promo. Arcanum will be available buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via HeviSike Records from June 10th
2017.
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